For a long time, it has been believed that Robert Sanchez is not good enough. At the start of the season, it looked like the Spaniard was proving the doubters wrong. He was commanding in the box, pulling off spectacular reflex saves and was not making mistakes with the ball at his feet either. He truly did look like one of the best in the world for a while.
But in recent months, we have seen the other version of Sanchez emerge. The one that seems short of confidence, makes unforced errors and gifts opponents goals.
Liam Rosenior seemed intent on making Filip Jorgensen the new number one for a little while. But the goalkeeper flopped his audition with a terrible showing against PSG.
Most Chelsea fans will agree that neither Sanchez nor Jorgensen is good enough to be starting for the Blues. The club do have a high-profile Premier League goalie in their sights if reports are on the mark.
Chelsea seem to be pondering big-money offer for Dutch goalkeeper
According to journalist Sebastien Vidal, Chelsea are preparing a big move in the goalkeepers’ market. The Blues are considering a transfer bid of around £60 million for Robin Roefs. The London club wants to cut to the chase at this position and could accelerate in the coming weeks in the face of competition.
Roefs has been one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League this season. At 23 years of age, he would also fit the timeline that this Chelsea squad is on.
So, it is not hard to see why Chelsea might be interested in Roefs. And to be fair, the numbers to back up their interest.
Robin Roefs’ stats show he could be the solution for Chelsea
Of course, the Roefs rumours have been doing the rounds for a little while now. So, I did take a deep dive into the stats surrounding Sunderland’s Dutch goalie. And they do paint an interesting picture.
Roefs is arguably much the best in the league when it comes to claiming crosses and commanding the box. He also has a better save percentage than Sanchez, whose shot-stopping is one of his standout traits. But at the same time, the Sunderland goalkeeper has an error in him as well.
On paper, there does not seem to be a whole lot of difference between Sanchez and Roefs. The Dutchman does seem marginally better. But just. Then again, one could argue that he is playing for a recently promoted team.
Also, what would signing Roefs mean for the development of Mike Penders. He is currently out on loan at Strasbourg and doing well. If Chelsea now go out and spend £60 million on a 23-year-old goalkeeper, what message does that send to the Belgian about his future?
